the searbys

Well its the first home football game and we're told we shouldn't leave the house! Too late. I'm already at work and Jen is running a garage sale at the old house. We're hoping to pick up on some of the football traffic and unload some of the things we either don't need, don't want or can't fit in the new place.

Everyone in Gainesville seems to be talking about this football game today. I'm sure it will be crazy. As we drove home last night we passed the lot designated for RV's of fans who come in two, even three days ahead of time to tailgate. Crazy! I guess in this time of national crisis we can't just stop life. Actually, a diversion like sports might even be healthy. I just wish we could get all those refugees out and let them enjoy some kind of diversion. (by the way, I did see a pickup football game break out on the lawn of the astrodome last night.)

I've had some interesting comments in response to my last post. I appreciate all the different perspectives on God. He is so huge and amazing. After reading Brian McLaren's latest book, A Generous Orthodoxy, I have really been challenged to embrace different expressions of Christ as healthy, part of God's plan and representative of God's majesty. For example, while I am not "comfortable" in a pentecostal church, I want to embrace their desire to be intimately connected with the Holy Spirit, often in ways that my own traditions have been reluctant to explore. Or maybe I should learn from the liturgy and respect of traditions like Roman Catholicism and see the powerful yet mystical side of God. I'm not (and neither was McLaren) simply tossing aside important theological discussions but rather acknowledging that I do not have a corner on the god market. I want to be humble and open to the fact that I have much to learn about God. By observing and even embracing expressions of Christ different from my own I believe I can learn more about His overall character. For example, the mainline protestant groups, which have been labeled (or have labeled themselves) liberal have really led the way for many years in areas of social justice. If social justice was not a concern of Christ than I'm not reading my Bible right. What I'm saying is, we can learn from that. Jesus was greatly concerned about the actual welfare of the poor and socially outcast, not just their souls, as some evangelical groups have been guilty of assuming. Yet I see in our midst a great opportunity to meet real needs of real people in real crisis. A member of the congressional black caucus yesterday quoted, in a national news conference, Matthew 25, talking about the "least" of our brothers. Whatever his motives, he was absolutely right. Jesus is clear about it and so far, in what I've seen in the media, Christians are taking iy very seriously in response to this crisis. I'm thankful to God for that and continue to pray that the love of Christ can be shared through bottles of water and big pots of stew. Blessings.
-joel

Joel - you have such an ability to put thoughts into words - thoughts that we all are thinking, yet you can so eloquently describe them. I hope you are printing out your blogs or keeping a hard copy somehow - as a basis for the book you will write someday or the newspaper column you will be a regular contributor to. Love, MOM  

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